Once
just
a dream
quietly
beckoning my heart
towards a dimly seen future
Now
here
heavy
in my arms
all senses announce
that the idea has become flesh
And
smells
more real
more vivid
than I imagined
with the eyes of my hopeful mind.
Strange
gift –
to see
ideas
shape matter – into
a house, a child, or a poem.
I wrote this as a companion poem to “waiting” – which I wrote some time ago for a blog friend and a real-life friend who were both close to having a child. Now both mothers have given birth to wonderful small people, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on humans’ miraculous ability to turn dreams into reality. The poem also responds (HT to readwritepoem) to the beautiful picture above, which is by Rick Mobbs, one of the new fathers – click on the image to see it in greater detail. Edit: I’ve also discovered a new poetry prompt over at “pen me a poem”, which very conveniently has the subject “birth”!
This idea also has a lot of resonance for me now, as, in my work, I see the things I have planned start to happen. In many of the jobs I’ve done, the goals were so far off that I moved on before I could see tangible results. So it is a real satisfaction to actually see the results of my decisions!
I was also lucky to come across a new (to me) form today on Nicole Nicholson’s blog Raven’s Wing Poetry. Like hers, this poem is a fib chain – the syllable count in each stanza is 1,1,2,3,5,8. Which seems rather appropriate, as Rick’s picture is called “fibonacci”!
Words that sing 
Lirone: I love the way you built up the poem throughout this fib chain. I think your description of an idea or wish becoming flesh really fits the picture.
Nice linking of content and form, with the painting and the fib. Glad you found inspiration in so many places.
I love your treatment of the theme, of the feeling we get when something we make, something apart from us is part of us at the same time. great poem
I like the thought ‘ideas shape matter’ and I like the way your chain builds up and finally links a house, a child or a poem.
beautiful beautiful! each of the four fibs individually bring the painting to life, and the sum is greater than the parts. the second fib is my favorite: “now, here, heavy in my arms”.
the set reminds me of the feeling i get when a poem i’ve written from a vague initial notion surpasses my hopes, surprising me by becoming something i didn’t know myself capable of.
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I’m so glad I read your poem for it has introduced me to the fib chain which prior to coming here, I was embarrassing unfamiliar with. One does really learn something every day.
The chain is like the stream of thoughts in the human mind which constantly link one theme or construction to another. Light to begin with followed by a lengthier contemplation which is a sort of conclusion.
Lovely poem and thank you for entering it into my poetry prompt.
Hi Pen-me-a-poem. I’d never heard about the fib until a few days ago either, but it seems to be going round the blogosphere like the latest meme! It’s a very effective structure, I find, particularly the way it builds up gradually.
I’m going to have to try one then in the next couple of days. 🙂
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